Burning Darkness
by Pandora6373
Summary: A mysterious girl falls to Earth. A troubled past and an infamous reputation, she is no one to start a fight with. As her empire spirals down before her eyes, Nero discovers through darkness can be light. Of course with the help of the Avengers and the Fallen Prince, but not without danger, love, and loss... OC/Loki pairing. Rated T for crude torture. Post Avengers
1. The Arrival

**Author's Note: Hello and welcome to my first attempt at writing a fan fiction and writing in general. Polite reviews are welcomed. Please excuse minor spelling/grammar issues and let me know about any big ones. Well, here it goes!**

Chapter 1: The Arrival

The opaque glass door flung open. The startled occupant of the space dropped the metal alloy hand he had been modifying. The hand bounced on the grey cement ground, metallic clinging echoed throughout the vast room. "Look at what you made me do!" cried the older man. "I believe it is common decency to kno…," he stopped abruptly when his eyes finally looked up into the intruder's dread filled ones.

"Tony, we have another one," said Bruce with a sense of urgency in his voice. The color on Tony's face spiraled down the drain.

"Where?"

"Right this way," he yelled over his shoulder. He had already started down the hall with a frantic pace. Tony dropped the toll in his other hand and ran off to catch up, not bothering to pick up the dropped metal.

"Doctor, are you certain?"

"Well, the blue pigmented skin and abnormally rapid self restoration is a dead give away. All we know it that the thing fell from the sky and it is not from around here," reported Bruce.

"Is it a he or she and are they looking to subjugate the world or something?"

"It looks to be female and for taking over the world, we will have to wait until she is conscious to answer that."

After traveling through various hallways, an elevator ride, and numerous security checks, the pair arrived at a dead end. Bruce took his access card from around his neck and swiped it in a slot to the right of the wall. After a beeping noise, the wall slid open with little noise. Bruce and Tony continued down the newly reviled hallway, the wall could be heard closing behind them. At last, they came to a colossal glass porthole. Captain Rogers had already arrived and was pacing back and forth like a mad man.

"Good morning Captain," Tony said briskly after he and Bruce came to a stop outside the window.

"It was a good one until she arrived," he replied, gazing into the room beyond the window.

Inside, were four white walls, various medical equipment, and a hospital style bed. Strapped onto the bed was the unconscious alien. She looked like a typical 18 year old human, but with the exception of her pointy ears and pale smoky sapphire complexion. Also, unlike a normal 18 year old, her wrists and ankles along with her torso, was strapped down to the bed with black cuffs. Upon closer inspection, you could notice a slight discoloration in certain patches of skin. Just hours ago, those had been life threatening burns.

"Greetings my friends!" boomed a thunderous voice from behind.

"Well hello Thor. Back from Asgard so soon?" Tony replied in a now confident tone.

"Indeed, some _urgent _matters," he looked beyond the glass window with his blue eyes, "seemed to have risen," he finished.

"Very urgent," called out a recognizable feminine voice.

"Greeting Lady Natasha and Clint," thundered the Asgardian crown prince.

"It's a pleasure, Thor, replied the red head.

"Umm guys, nice seeing you in all, but let's skip the hellos for now," Tony suggested.

"I agree, we should worry about whatever's in there," jumped in Agent Barton.

Steve hadn't moved an inch. He stood there with his hand resting on his chin, his expression blank, and mind in another place. He was faced toward the alien specie.

"Fury's going in there soon," Natasha said to nobody in particular, just trying to break the awkward silence that had developed.

"She's waking up!" shouted Steve unexpectedly after minutes of silence. Immediately, the group's attention was focused on the foreigner. Her now open, icy cobalt eyes bore into the souls of her onlookers.

**That's it for Chapter 1. I hoped you enjoyed my start to a possible trilogy! **

**Until next time,**

**-Pandora**


	2. Shattered Glass

**Author's Note:** **This chapter has a bit of gore. I'm just warning you. The setting would be best understood if you have seen 'Thor'. Excuse spelling/grammar mistakes. This way typed late a night so I'm tired.**

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**Chapter 2: Shattered Ice**

**Nero's POV**

**12 Earth Hours Ago**

There was a deafening popping noise drumming in my ears. Immediately, frigid air overloaded my senses. Coldness never disturbed me a great deal. My frosty sapphire eyes sprung open to take in my latest surroundings. Ice and mountains that towered above all, cast shadows that blanketed the world in gloom. They call it Jotunheim.

I had landed on the tip of a cliff edge. Not one of my finest landings, but it could have been worse. Much worse. I gulped as I stared down the dizzying height.

Wait! There was something down there. My eyes were squinted to attempt to make out the object. What was it? It surely wasn't rock or ice. There seemed to be immense ivory arched beams that formed a tunnel like a cave for at least ¼ a mile. It continued getting smaller and smaller as it went. It was like a cage. The rib cage of a beast.

"_Crunch! A skull shattered under my foot. I stepped backward in terror. As I did, I tripped over another and fell to the packed ground. I opened my eyes. The face of a dead man with bulging eyes, flesh peeling off and oozing blood from the mouth was the first thing I saw. Arggh! I leapt back to feet and spirited away from this hell…"_

Stop it! The past already happened and there was nothing I could do to wipe it from my memory. I spun away from the carcass and bad memories it brought up. In the opposing direction of the cliff were the remains of a castle.

Sinister storm clouds hung low in the sky, hiding the peaks of the grand mountains. They looked vicious enough to tear this whole miserable realm apart. Just on cue, a great gust of wind came from behind me. My cloak threatened to rip away and my helmet my knocked out of my grasp. It slid on the ice for a few feet. Tiny snow crystals began to fall from the heavens. The clouds had finally given way. Another gust of wind whistled in the valley below and came up beneath my armor, causing goose bumps to form.

I felt my bare skin start to sting. I looked down at my hands. They were raw and covered in microscopic cuts. The same was with the rest of my body. Some were deep enough to form beads of dark navy blood on the surface of my skin. It wasn't snow falling from the clouds, it was ice. The ice was as sharp as shattered glass. My body would be in no condition to carry out the task I must do once I made it to the fortress.

I wrapped the thick black cloak on my back around my exposed neck, arms, shoulders, and most of my long legs. What was I thinking when I wore this here of all places? My calves and ankles still had to brave the ice.

To shield my delicate face, I needed my helmet. It was still on the ground where the wind had blown it. I took my hand out from under the safety of my cloak and bent downwards to retrieve the silver helmet. On contact, the tips of my fingers became fused to the frozen metal.

"Get off!" I screamed frantically as I shook my arm back and forth. With one last down shake, it flew of my hand along with the tips of my fingers. The turn in weather had already turned my mood sour. Now this? This day couldn't get any worse. It landed near the edge of the cliff leading to the abyss and started sliding. The speed was leaving, but not soon enough.

Chang! Cling! Dong! The helmet bounced against rocks on the decent down. The sound echoed through the valley. The noise faded away and the howling wind covered up any remaining noise.

I deeply filled my lungs with air and exhaled gradually. Calm down, at least I had others. I pulled the cloak over my head to protect my face, but in doing so, I further exposed my legs to the elements.

The wind picked up as did the amount of razor-sharp ice shards. This storm was just going to get worse. Now, I could barely see my feet. I had to make it to the ruins. The best way to get there was teleportation, which my always my last resort. Crashing face first into things like asteroids and mountains was all too common. But now, it was my only chance.

I closed my eyes, blocking out the nasty situation. My mind blocked out all the surrounding wind and the sting of the ice shredding my skin. "The ruin, ruins, ruins," I muttered repetitively in an ancient language long forgotten. The uncomfortable feeling of being crushed into a box came next. The moment the feeling became unbearable, "Pop!"

As the sound faded out of my ears, I noticed the lack of noise. I wasn't being shredded either. I made it to the castle. Or, what was left of it. The ceiling had long ago caved, leaving large stone slabs littering the floor like a maze. The three remaining walls sheltered me from the outside. Any rustic defining features were incarcerated in a tomb of ice. It was truly an eerie sight. There was not a living soul in sight. There was not a breath or heart beat besides my own. Now where would the Casket be?

The Casket was just a piece in my game. But a game cannot be played if it's missing a piece. This game was to attempt the subjugation of a place so omnipotent that none of these puny realms could even come close to its power. As I always say, the bigger they are the harder they fall.

While my mind was off plotting more devious plans, I had started walking around in search of the Casket. "_Crunch_!" There came a sickening sound from underneath my foot. I looked down and to my horror, it was a corpse. The tissue had rotted away long ago and the bone shad turned brittle and yellowed with age. This was smaller than the beast I had seen at the bottom of the abyss. It was Frost Giant sized.

I leapt away. I scanned my surroundings. This time, I searched more in-depth. There was another one! And another! There must have been a battle. Skeletons were everywhere! My hands trembled uncontrollably and my heart raced.

"…_The stench of decaying flesh wafted from under doorways. Putrid bloated carcasses hung from their necks on lampposts, with bulging eyes and flesh tissue falling right off the bones. Thick matted blood spurted from wounds, sores, and eye sockets…"_

"Who dare enters the palace of the Jotunheim king?" cut in a chilling voice. It came from seemingly nowhere. I let out a gasp and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I resisted the urge to scream. A giant blue figure with distinguishing markings and piercing crimson eyes protruded from behind a fallen slab. It was undoubtedly a Frost Giant. He stood there staring. He awaited my answer.

"I am Nero."

"The?" he questioned with a chilling tone.

"The one and only," I replied with a bit too much confidence.

"What is the great Nero doing in my humble little realm?" he slithered mockingly.

"It is none of your concern."

"You have built an entire empire and nobody has ever lived to tell the tale of your appearance," he stated. "That is highly admirable. And yes, it _is _all my concern," he finished.

"If you must know, I have come to _borrow _the Casket," I answered truthfully. It was always better to tell the truth. Lies just come back to bite you. Of course, me being myself, I often choose to twist the truth. This was one of those times.

"I believe you haven't been kept up to date," he said bitterly. "Odin of Asgard," he spit the name out with hatred, "stole it many years ago." This was news to me.

"Well that's a shame. I best be leaving now," I said feeling uncomfortable. This place was really getting to me. I turned around to leave.

"Oh, but wait!"

I stopped dead in my tracks and spun back in his direction. I bit my lip to disguise my fear.

"It sounded like you were here to steal the Casket for yourself," he deducted. I didn't argue. "And that is punishable by death. In your case, you being immortal, punishment would be ever-lasting torture," he finished.

"I really must be going," I stammered. My voice quavered. My heart was beating wildly and my head was spinning.

"No, you _must _stay." As he said that, Frost Giants appeared from the shadows. They continued appearing and came closer and closer until I was surrounded by a tight circle. Spears of ice formed at their fists and all seventy pairs of red glaring eyes were focused on me. No sword of mine would win this battle. It was times like these that I wished I had a silver tongue.

"For your troubles, I offer you anything in exchange for letting me leave without harm," I offered. "Anything." It was worth a try. Even though I'm immortal, it still hurts to be injured. I wasn't really in the mood to be impaled with ice today.

"Midgard," he said after a long pause. My surrounding Frost Giants backed away into the shadow with the response of their leader.

"Of course you may have that," I responded after a sigh of relief.

"In a year's time, it shall be mine."

"Well I wish you luck with your conquest," I said. He nodded and disappeared back into the shadows. Time to get out of here.

"To er…," I hesitated. "Tha." Tha was the best place I could think to go. I realized my mistake all too late. It sounded like I said 'Earth'! My body was already being compressed into the darkness. There was nothing I could do to stop.

My body was flying through the stars faster than the speed of light. A numb tingle was all I could feel. _Wham_! My body lost the sensation of movement. There was no pop in my ears as usual. After the first shock, pain coursed through my veins as I rebounded off whatever I had just collided with. I faded into darkness.

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**Phew! That felt long. Don't worry, the Avengers will return soon and Loki will come in time. I've got it all planned out. Tell me what you think!**

**-Pandora**


	3. Awakening

**Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. Hearing about the CT shootings really put me out of the writing mood. My heart goes out to anyone affected by this tragedy. **

**I have decided that I will be updating once a week at the least. I have another story brewing up. I just have to draft a few chapters until I publish it. **

**Shout out to my two reviewers, 'guest' and HoneyGee08! I really appreciate it.**

**Chapter 3: Awakening **

"Director Fury, the subject has now regained consciousness," said a voice in the ear of the director himself. Today had been an extremely busy day. He had received and answered calls from governments all over the world, all questioning last night's findings. Each call had ended when Nick had slammed the phone down in frustration. Nobody was taking this as a serious threat. Most even doubted that aliens existed and thought this was all one big hoax. Did they not see what happened in New York? Innocent lives do not exist any more all thanks to a power-hungry maniac from outer space. All he could hope for was that this one was at least sane.

"Let's get me in there ASAP," responded Nick into a little speaker. He has to sort this potential disaster out.

He opened a metal drawer of a file cabinet to his left. It was the top drawer and high enough up that he could not see what was in it. He lifted his arm up to the drawer and scrimmaged around, his hand gliding over staplers and bullets. A very strange combination to keep in an office drawer, but around here, it was all too common. At last, his hand came across what he was searching for. He pulled it out and brought it down to eye level. All it looked like was a small black plastic stick about the size of a pinky finger. It was really a little recorder with just a record/stop button and a tiny microphone hidden at the top. It was old fashion considering all the new-age technology around him, but it was his preferred style. That way, it would be less complicated. The last thing he needed around here was unnecessary complexity. He slipped it into a pocket in his black pants.

Just one last thing. He turned around to the side of the room. With quick strides, he went and snatched up a black trench coat from off its hook. He rushed out the door while putting it on. He checked his hip for his pistol. He felt the handle in the holster just where it should have been. He was ready.

The florescent light strips that ran down the hallway produced harsh artificial light that bounced off the freshly polished floor. It bounced into Nick's remaining eye causing him to look up from his black leather boots. The corridor was usually teeming with agents and scientists bustling about doing their jobs. Now, it was eerily vacant.

Shortly after they had detained the girl and brought her to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters, Nick order for an evacuation of the facilities. This order excluded Doctor Selvig, high-ranking agents, and the Avengers. This was for if everything turned for the worst. No more lives had to be lost to extraterrestrial beings due to human neglect.

At last, Fury got to the dead-end wall. Most people thought it was to keep unwanted people out, but the true purpose was to keep them in. He searched his pockets for a small platinum card. Everyone at S.H.I.E.L.D had one. Normally, on the front was identification and amount of access the person was allowed. Unlike all the other cards, Nick's card was blank except for a small number five in the top right hand corner. This card gave unlimited access to its beholder. S.H.I.E.L.D had only ever issued two of these cards. One belonged to him and the other once to Phil Coulson. Phil was the only one Nick ever trusted with it. Phil was extremely loyal and always followed orders. He fought to save humanity no matter the cost. The cost was his life. Nick let out a sad sigh. Phil was more than an agent to him. He was a comrade and friend. Nick snapped out of his sorrow and slid the card into the slot.

A strange circus of people met his eye as the wall slid open. Two master assassins, a demigod prince with an insane half-brother, the one and only genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, a soldier out of his time, and a man with major anger issues. Not what you would call normal, but to Fury it was as normal as things got around this place.

"Greeting Director Fu…" began the God of thunder.

"Excuse me, but I think we should know what the hell is going on," cut in Tony.

Yes Mr. Stark, I was getting to that if you could give me a minute," said Nick, who was obviously at his end with the man. Tony opened his mouth to protest, but stopped himself. "As you have seen, we have a visitor," he began. "Around 9:30 pm last night, an unidentified flying object was sighted over a farm in Kansas. At 9:41, S.H.I.E.L.D intelligence picked up on a call to the Bloomsburg police station. The caller claimed to have seen something on fire crashing into his cornfield. He went to inspect it and to his surprise, he saw a girl in the middle of the massive crater. From what he could tell, she was seriously burned, presumably from entering the atmosphere," he paused and took a deep breath. "Right before his eyes, he saw the burns 'healing themselves'. After that, he called local law enforcement. Before the police could arrive, one of our helicopters in the area picked her up and brought her here."

The group remained silent, deep in thought. "I'm going in there now to question her," Fury stated. He walked over to the window. The girl looked fully awakened. She had just noticed the restraints and was tugging at them to get free. She gave up with little success and looked out the glass at her onlookers. Her eyes stopped as they met Nick's one eye. A smile crept up on her face. It was not a welcoming one, but one that a murderer makes before they slice of somebody's head. Chills ran down his spine. He broke eye contact and slid his card in a hidden slot. Yet another secret door opened and led into the room.

Boots clicked on the solid concrete floor. They did not stop until they came within five feet of the bed. The girl took no notice of her new visitor. She gazed off straight ahead at a blank white wall as if it was the most interesting thing in the universe.

"Looks like you've got a lot of explaining to do," Nick told his uninterested audience. When he got no response at all, not even a noticing glance, he continued. "Let's start with who you are." Still no response. "Why are you here?" Nothing. "Where are you from?" Silence. "You're going to have to coöperate sooner or later," he said. He was long past annoyed with this girl. He turned to walk out.

"I am Nero," whispered the girl with an icy tone. It was so quiet that if he had not been listening for it, he would not have heard her. Her voice was drenched with a foreign accent. It was unlike any on Earth.

He stopped immediately and turned to face her. She must have turned her head to look at the dark-skinned man. All Nick saw was her moving back to her original position faced towards the wall. It was obvious that she was not planning to speak again.

Nick noticed black on the floor that hadn't been there earlier. It took him a moment for him to realize it, but it was the straps that once restrained her. She had gotten out of them with no clear struggle. What a little escape artist she was! An evil grin lit up her face once again as she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the man was staring at her latest accomplishment.

He was done with this insanity. He quickly marched back to the hidden door. "By the way, I'm Director Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D and welcome to Earth. It was a pleasure to meet you," he said over his shoulder sarcastically as he left.

The question was left unspoken. "She calls herself Nero," Fury said as he stormed past the Avengers.

A thunderous boom rocked everyone's souls. They spun around to find the source of the deafening sound. What they saw was Mjolnir on the ground and Thor frozen in place with his mouth gawking. His eyes were widened with fear and skin ghostly pale.

"What did you do th…?" Tony stopped when he saw Natasha give him a threatening glare. It was best for him to shut up.

"It tis she. The Darkest of the Outer. The bringer of evil," he stammered in a voice way too timid to be recognized as his own. "She has the power to destroy us all…"

**Author's Note: Oh, so Nero is playing the cold card. Things are about to get heated…**

**Reviews?**

**- Pandora**


	4. Divulge

**Author's Note: ****You will be wondering what the 'Outside' is. It is a place I created and there will be more explanation in chapters to come.**

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**Chapter 4:**

**Divulge**

"Agent Hill, so kind of you to join us," invited the Director with his customary New York accent.

"Thank you, Director," responded the ever so loyal and obedient Maria Hill. She looked away from Fury; sitting around a huge black table, that stretched the length of the conference hall, were the newly legendary Avengers. At the head of this table sat Fury. His hand was menacingly resting on his chin. He was staring down at the end of the table where she was standing. Captain was sitting upright, fiddling with a new cell phone. He still hadn't discovered how to turn it on.

Tony was sitting to the right of him. He was slouched in his chair with his feet resting on the table and his eyes kept flashing backwards and forwards to the phone in Captain's hand. Tony grew tired of watching the man struggle, with what he thought was the easiest technology, and snatched the phone out of his ungloved hands. Tony hit a button that brought the object to life. An amazed expression popped up on Steve's face as Tony handed the device back. After staring at the phone for a few moments, he slipped it into a pocket.

Natasha, Clint, and Bruce were sitting on the opposing side. Thor was notably missing. There were two empty chairs. One was next to Bruce and the other Captain. Maria decided to go to the chair on the left of Captain.

Maria's mind snapped back to the matter at hand and realized that she had not moved from the place near the door. She started towards the chair. The sound of her clicking heels brought the ensemble's eyes upon her. Her pace quickened and she tried to hide the burning blush on her cheeks. It was too late. They had already seen it. A few weeks ago, she would not have acted so strangely around these people. Now that they were heroes and celebrities; she felt like a measly peasant. Who was she? Was she not just an agent? While they were out risking their lives for the better of humanity, she was safe and unharmed in a control room or something. She was out of place among these saviors. Maria had never felt this uncomfortable and out of place; she sighed to herself. _"Better get used to it, girl,"_ the formerly proud SHIELD agent thought.

She focused her sight on her feet and reached to pull the chair out. Instead of cold leather, she felt a warm hand. Startled, she let a gasp escape and pulled her hand back. She looked up. To her surprise, Steve had pulled out the chair for her. Their eyes met. His warm blue and her soothing chocolate eyes and lingered for just a moment too long. Embarrassed, Maria turned her head away. Her face was redder than a tomato and it burned against the cold air and atmosphere in the room.

"Have a seat," Steve gestured warmly. His eyes remained on her. She felt his burning gaze. She lowered herself into the seat and crossed her legs. Maria felt Steve gently pushed the chair inward to the table and her body tensed in discomfiture.

"Thanks," she managed to get out of her tense throat. It was barley above a whisper and only Steve heard her. She looked back up into his sparkling eyes. He had such beautiful eyes. They reminded her of the sea; how it glistens in the morning sun and how it is so strong but beautiful all at once

"Anything for a fine lady such as you," he said in a similar manner, but more shyly. He slowly returned to his seat. They both shared the same bright red blush on their cheeks. Luckily, most of the group had returned to whatever they were doing before the little incident, saving them from further embarrassment. That is, except Natasha. She had kept a watch full eye on the pair. Maria tried to ignore the super spy but her eagle eyes burned into the side of Maria's head making it hard to carry on without reacting.

"Where is Thor?" Clint asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"He should be here any minute now. He just needed to grab something," Fury spoke. Right on cue, a worn down Thor busted through the double doors. Lines of concern were on his forehead and a book in hand. The cover of it looked like it was leather and had embellishments that were small jewels in an assortment of glistening colours. It was tattered and the pages yellow and frayed. On closer inspection, the title was in strange characters of a foreign language. Without word, Thor took his seat next to Bruce and placed the book on the table with a soft thud.

"I never imagined you to be the book type," joked Tony in his usual carefree manner. Everyone round the table shot him a threatening glare. "What? I'm just trying to lighten the mood here!"

"Tony this is a very serious matter. Do I need to remind you of what happened last time?" Bruce scolded. Nobody needed reminding. At least it shut the egotistical man up. The scars still remained, both mental and physical, and all the people knew that they would never leave them.

"So Thor, what do you know about our little Nero?" questioned Fury. The great Asgardian prince let out a sigh.

"It began around the time of my childhood," Thor began. "Here on Midgard, you could call me eleven years of age. News reached Father of a potential foe to Asgard from the Outside. I recall the instance with clarity. Father, Mother, Loki, and myself," he paused when he saw the others cringing at the mention of Loki. "…were eating during a private feast when Father's personal messenger arrived. Odin grew cross and was about to command that the messenger shall leave at that very moment, but the messenger hurried over and whispered something in his ear and handed him a scroll. The expression on Father's face was not one I had ever seen before. 'Twas the look of fear. He excused himself and Mother from the table and led her to an adjoining chamber. He slammed the door behind himself." Thor paused for a minute to read the other's expressions. They were all eager for him to continue.

"Loki and I were curious to know what was of such great importance. We went to listen in on our parent's discussion, but the messenger put a halt to that. Days later, Loki came to my chamber room with the scroll in hand and his usual mischievous grin. We ran to my bed to examine whatever could have been written on the paper." He opened the book to a marked page and read.

"_To whom it may concern,_

_Intelligence has confirmed the existence of an evil superpower from the Outside. It appears to be no more than a force of one. It most strongly believed that the evil is a young adolescent and the name is Nero. Reports have confirmed that this child has dominated a total of seven realms and planets in the Outside, murdered 29 holders of upper positions, and stolen or destroyed countless relics. Take this child as a threat and be prepared to defend yourselves._

_Sincerely,_

_Lords of the Outside_"

Thor paused as he looked up from the book. "Odin prepared Asgard for battle in secret. He never spoke a word to Brother and me concerning this threat. Father continued to receive scrolls and Loki continued to swipe them for our reading. Most were concerning the recent events involving Nero. As an example…" He flipped to a random page in the book.

"_A biological weapon was released on the planet of Thinel. The disease wiped out the entire population. All that remains are the rotting carcasses of the native Thineleise people. This was most likely the work of Nero._" He flipped to another page.

"_The sacred box of Zoth was stolen. The heist seems that it was planned before hand and only the child mastermind of Nero could have planned such. The box was heavily guarded and many anti-theft devices were planted around the premises of it. When this theft was discovered none of these anti-theft devices were triggered_" He closed the book.

"Every time we would read one, Loki would record it in this book," he explained. "It contains all that is known of Nero." The book was a hefty size and very thick.

"How could such a young girl be capable of doing all that?" exclaimed Clint. Everyone looked a bit shaken up.

"I know not of the answer," Thor answered.

"Well, there is only one way to find out," Natasha said.

Fury read the determined look on her face. "Nobody is going to confront her besides me. None of you are allow to go anywhere near the prison cell" he said with his voice echoing with unrivalled authority. "You are all dismissed."

Each person stood up. Natasha, Clint, Thor, and Nick left the room immediately. Tony and Bruce stood there for a minute in conversation. They walked out together, still talking. The only two who remained was Steve and Maria.

Steve bit his lip, trying to decide whether to speak or not. "Wow, back in my day, there was no such thing as killer aliens," he began, trying to rouse a conversation.

"It really is terrifying to think that a threat like her is in such close proximity," she said after a long awkward pause.

"Mmm, it is," agreed Steve. They stood there staring into each other's eyes. Maria had her hand clutched around her arm.

Steve took a deep breath and blurted out "Do you er… want to discuss this over some coffee? I mean, just you and me, casually like without all this formalness." He looked as though he was looking for an opportunity like this for a long time. He looked at her hopefully.

She felt taken aback by his sudden proposal. "Sure! I would love to." She added a smile to reassure him. Her eyes were twinkling and that smile turned to a grin that stretched from ear to ear. Steve let out a breath and a look of relief washed over him.

"Great! So the food court at one tomorrow?"

"Sounds perfect!" she answered with a giggle.

"Okay, see you then," he said with a smile and walked out of the room.

She was overfilled with joy and excitement. Did _the_ Captain America just really ask her out on a date? Tomorrow was not going to come soon enough!

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**A/N: We will get back to Nero is no time. *I made a poll so if you could take just a second and vote, that would be much appreciated. It will affect the story a bit.**

**kellyhorse: Thank you for reviewing! It really meant a lot to me. J**

**Thank you to my beta reader guineamania! You really made the chapter come alive!**

**Hey! All you readers! I know you're out there! Tell me how I'm doing or even make a few predictions. If I like your prediction enough, I might find a way to work it into the story. A great Christmas present would be a review from you ;)**

**Happy Holidays! – Pandora **


	5. Sparks and Flames

**A/N: kellyhorse: I am going to apologize right now for the amount of Maria in this chapter. Sorry!**

_"Turn up the love now, listen up now, turn up the love_

_Who's gonna save the world tonight?_

_Who's gonna bring you back to life?_

_We're gonna make it, you and I_

_We're gonna save the world tonight."_

- _Save the World by Swedish House Mafia_

Chapter 5

Sparks and Flames

He paced back and forth anxiously awaiting the arrival of Maria. He paused and glanced at his watch for what seemed like the thousandth time. The larger hand was on the five and the smaller pointed near the one. 1:05! Where was she? He sighed and walked back to the small table he had chosen with a nearby window. The table was circular and made of granite with two chairs on opposing sides. He pulled out the chair and sat down in the chair to his left so he could be facing the door.

The door swung open. His heart swelled in anticipation. Was it her? No, it was just Natasha. She strode over to the counter on the far side of the room and poured herself a cup of coffee. She approached Steve on her way out.

"Why hello Captain Rogers, fine day isn't it?" she said briskly, then glanced out the window. Well, it wasn't really a window, just a screen displaying whatever was beyond the metal walls. Windows really weren't the smartest idea when you were on a helicarrier.

"Yes, Natasha, it is. And please, you can call me Steve."

"Are you waiting for someone?" asked the master assassin. She had been quick to notice his shiny black dress shoes and well ironed collared shirt. You didn't need Natasha's eagle eyes to see how apprehensive he was.

"I am actually. In fact, she should be here any minute now."

"It's Agent Hill, isn't it?" she said with a smile.

"How did you know?" he said, lacking a surprised tone. Natasha had the, sometimes annoying, tendency to know things before anyone else.

"Well, you haven't been the greatest at hiding your little crush on her. Just the way you stutter when you talk with her is a dead give away." She leaned on the table, smirking with triumph.

He sighed. "Yes, it is. You are too good at your job," he told her jokingly.

With a grim laugh, "I have to be or else I wouldn't be standing here alive." The Captain nodded in agreement. "Well, have fun with your little girl crush!" She started towards the door, satisfied that she got the dignified man to blush after her last remark. "Oh, and don't be too stiff! You're already charming, so don't ruin it," she called over her shoulder as she left. She was right. He was a little stiff around the ladies after 70 years of being a capsicle. Come to think about it, he had always been stiff with ladies. Oh how he missed Peggy, but it was about time to move forward. Even with this new resolve, his heart still ached with the loss of her.

His mind had drifted off and was suddenly awoken by the sound of clicking heals approaching him. He looked up slowly and what met his eyes shocked him. Her dark hair was let down and fell at shoulder length with bangs sweeping over her face. Blue eye shadow illuminated her chocolate eyes and a pale pink blush brought out a strong and defined cheekbone. A short dark cobalt leather jacket hung tight to her slim torso, bringing out smooth curves. Skinny khaki pants ran down her long legs and were held up with an elegant black belt. Blue heels added a few inches to her height. She stood awkwardly in front of the table, looking uncomfortable in her clothes. This was far from her typical black jump suit. She tugged down the jacket and adjusted the belt.

Steve was the first to speak. "Wow, you look gorgeous!" Maria reddened instantly with the mention of her looks, but still smiled.

"You look rather handsome yourself," she said with a giggle. She felt instantly comfortable with him after the compliment.

"Thank you, and please have a seat." He had gotten up and pulled out a chair, as if he was well practiced in the way to a woman's heart. Without hesitation, she lowered herself into the seat. Steve pushed her chair in. This time, she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. She knew she was safe in his presence and was getting less nervous the more they spoke.

"How do you like your coffee?" he asked.

"Just black, please."

"Black it is," he said with a grin and walked over to where the coffee was. Maria couldn't help but to notice how cute his butt was. She chuckled softly to herself. She felt so dirty to be thinking this. After all, she worked with the man for God's sake! She looked away, but gave into the urge to stare some more.

He came back with two cups in hand. "For you, my dear," he said and gently placed the cup in front of her. He took his seat and sipped from his cup. He set it down.

"That sure looks complex," Maria commented on the coffee inn front of him.

"What? It's just a tall half-skinny extra hot spilt quad shot latte with whip!" She started to giggle again. "A man has got to have his coffee done right!" he said in reaction to her laughter.

"You're right about that. I just never imagined that a man of your time well, likes things so complex," she said, still laughing. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask how it's going for you in the 21st century."

"It's hard with all these gadgets. I just figured out how to turn my dang cell phone on. The only thing I can work around here is the coffee machine!" he ranted. "On the positive side, the people are the best part. They really have helped me with my transition from cave man to space man." There was a pause and Steve took a deep calming breath. He really wanted to tell her how he felt but it would take all of his courage to actually speak it out to her. "Speaking of people, I must confess that when I first met you, I thought you were just business and work the attack on New York, you were more withdrawal from your normal proud self. Right now, you seem much more relaxed and confident." Maria could tell he was sincere. "I really like the Maria I'm with now."

Maria took a deep breath. She had never felt comfortable sharing her true emotions, but with Steve, it felt only natural. "After New York City, I felt out of place among heroes like you. My pride and ego was ripped away. I wasn't the one risking my life to save to world! I mean I'm just an agent sitting on the sidelines!" Her eyes began to fill with tears and her voice wavered. "I'm no hero. I don't belong," she finished, her voice suddenly soft.

Steve grasped her hands. "Look at me Maria," he told her softly, with a commanding tone. She looked into his twinkling blue eyes that were like the ocean. "You are a hero. You do belong. How would we have been able to fight with out a commander? We would have lost in the end if it wasn't for you telling us where to go and what to do. Trust me, I would know, having been in the army and all." He gazed softly into her misty eyes. "We need you. I need you," he finished. "How about a hug?" She nodded with her eyes teary and a sad smile adorned her face.

Steve wrapped his strong arms around her tenderly and hesitantly. But after that it all seemed to come naturally, he planted his lips softly on the top of her forehead. Her body tensed for a moment and then loosened back into his warm embrace. He kept still for a few more moments and then broke away.

"Thank you," she whispered and wiped away tear, smudging her makeup ever so slightly. She flashed a grin towards him. "You know, I'm glad I got that off my chest."

"You can come to me anytime for any reason. It's not a problem," he invited. She nodded and sipped from her cup.

"That Nero sure is something," Steve told her after a long pause. The food court had emptied. Just the two of them were left.

"It's hard to believe that such a young girl could have done all that alone," Maria stated somberly.

"At least she hasn't killed anyone yet," Steve tried to joke. "Well, not on Earth yet."

They had grown silent. A piercing beep shattered the peaceful moment. Maria grumpily pulled out her phone; work always ruined these sorts of moments. "It looks like Fury wants me down to Cell A _right _ now," she said, looking annoyed.

"You better get there soon. I wouldn't like to see him angry at you." He got to his feet to stand directly in front of her.

Adeline rushed through her veins and her heart pumped ferociously. Should she do it? With a small moment of hesitation, she leaned in and pecked him on the lips quickly, then spun to the door. She strode away with a fast pace. Her hands were trembling slightly, caused by her last minute decision. Did she really just kiss Captain America?

"See you later!" she called over her shoulder cheerfully. She paused at the door to look back and read his expression. He stood there frozen in place, looking shocked, but wore a satisfied smile. She opened the door and walked out, her pride restored for the time being and heart swelling with joy.

-o*O*o-

Nero lye on her bed quietly. This place was starting to bore her with its plain white walls and floors. All day, her body had been mending whatever had been shattered and torn after the double impact.

Self-healing was really more of a natural instinct, a spontaneous reflex she couldn't control. It had its benefits, like ensuring her immortality, but it drained all the energy out, rendering her useless until it was complete. The same was with teleporting, although it had a few more disadvantages like crashing into objects while in transport. Out of all the odds, it had to have been her to do that!

Every time she moved, her body shot waves of pain in protest to movement. Her chest rose up and down slowly and her pulse slowed as her eye lids grew heavy. They began to droop and blur out the world around her.

The sound of a door slamming shut aroused her from her slumber with a jolt. She sprung up wide-eyed and then grimaced from the stabbing pain that followed. She reluctantly let a soft moan escape her parched lips.

Two voices could be heard. One was an unrecognizable feminine one and the other a familiar masculine voice. Nero recognized it to be Director Fury. What kind of human had the audacity to call himself a 'Director'! He hadn't left a good first impression on the foreigner. Maybe she would get some food to eat if she cooperated with the man. Her stomach rumbled, giving her further reason to answer any questions he had to throw at her.

The footsteps stopped in front of the area where she had last see the wall slid open. Nero pulled herself slowly into a sitting position, trying to minimize the pain it brought. The wall slid open as she had predicted.

"Greetings Director Fury," she invited unenthusiastically. Her voice still had a thick accent, but it seemed to have started to fade.

"Oh! You've decided to work with me I see," exclaimed Fury. The surprised look on his face told all. She gave him a slow nod. Her face screwed up afterwards with the intense pain. She concluded that her neck was broken, but at least it was healing. Nick took note of her pain, he could maybe use that later.

"We've acquired some information concerning your past. You are quite accomplished," he told her. "Very impressive for someone as young as you, but I cannot admire any of your evil feats."

She let out a chilling chuckle. Nick shifted uncomfortably in his shoes. She was truly insane. The laugh was abruptly cut short and her hands shot to an area near her ribs. She withered in pain again. "Knowing you humans, you've most likely come to the conclusion that I am either here to destroy or dominate. To be honest, I being here would be classified as an accident." This answered Nick's unspoken question.

"So you mean us no harm?" Being completely sure was much better than having any doubts.

"None at all. I am only staying here to rest and heal," she told him rather honestly. This was a good time to have twisted the truth. She wasn't going to destroy them, but the Frost Giants were in a years time. The thought of this caused a silent laugh to erupt deep inside of her. It wasn't her problem!

"How do I know that you can be trusted with telling the truth?" He had the right to be concerned. After all, she was an evil ruler of a space empire.

"I have discovered after many years of experience, that telling the truth, although much more difficult, doesn't come back to bite you the same way a lie would." He couldn't agree more. Those were true words of wisdom.

"Okay, I will believe you," he said, finalizing his thoughts on whether to trust her or not.

A voice in his ear startled him. "Um, sir? NASA has confirmed that the um… moon is on a collision course with Earth. This will occur in approximately ten minutes. We have already checked, and there are no defenses set up to blast the moon out of the danger zone. Nuclear weapons are far too weak to have any effect."

"Are you pulling my leg Johnson?" he spoke into a small mouthpiece. How could this be possibly happening?

"No sir, I wish I was. I advise you to seek cover," Johnson replied.

Then it hit the Director. "This has something to do with you, I'm guessing," he said to Nero. She had overheard the conversation with ease. Her pointed ears and acute sense of hearing allowed it.

The guilty grin on her face told all. "I think we had a little unfortunate collision," she told him meekly. The sheer force of her impact must have moved the moon close enough to the Earth that gravity pulled it down towards the surface. It would cause a large enough impact that a relapse of what happened to the dinosaurs millions of years ago would reoccur. The thought of human extinction do near gave Nick a heavy feeling in his stomach. He was going to get sick. Panic and dread eluded his senses as the news sank in fully.

Nero had started to slide out of the bed slowly. She was still dressed in a hospital gown and looked to be in immense pain.

"Oh, so you're just going to jump ship and leave us all to die!" Nick barked at her.

"No, I'm going to save the world," she said calmly. Before Nick could speak again, there was a loud pop, that echoed throughout the cell, and she was gone.

**A/N: I hope you notice that the song at the beginning kind of connects the two parts I had J**

**Thank you to my two reviewers: **** kellyhorse ****and ****Niallosaur. ****It really means a lot to me!**

**Hey, I hope that updating every Sunday sounds good. I see that many of you have checked to see if I updated. Don't be afraid to PM me if you want some exacts to when I'm updating. Also, I just love talking with my readers!**

**Thanks to guineamania for betaing this so quicking!**

**Reviews? Please!**

** Oh, I posted the wrong doc at first if you were wondering! And the second: it was all in bold!**

**- Pandora **


	6. Disatser Adverted

**A/N: ****In case any of you were wondering, this is the edited version done by the ever so fantastic guineamania! **

Chapter 6

Disaster Adverted 

The loud pop still rung in his ears; the sudden noise had disoriented him slightly. Nick looked to the spot where Nero had just been standing. It was empty.

He was paralyzed. Paralyzed with fear and terror. The human race was about to be obliterated in -8 minutes and 25 seconds- and their only hope was a supposedly hostile alien invader! His mind could not even comprehend her miraculous disappearance.

However, Nick did question her last words, "To save the world." Why would someone as infamous as her _save _lives? She appeared to be the type of person who would find amusement out of watching a whole planet perish.

A rouge thought struck him. Nero wasn't going to save them. This was just a ruse so she could escape and laugh in safety as Earth was smashed into smithereens. He was going to die. They all were going to die. He was now sure of it.

A pang of nausea hit his stomach and a wave of dizziness washed over him. The distinct feeling of his lunch working its way back up made his hands grasp his abdomen. He dropped to him knees and vomited all over the gray floor. More wooziness and weakness attacked him and his throat stung from the vile that had just traveled up it. The sound of the wall opening startled him. In reaction, he whipped his head back up and accidentally bashed it against the steel bed frame. A yelp of pain escaped Nick's lips as the world around him fell into darkness. His last thoughts before slipping into complete unconsciousness were "_I am going to die._"

-o*O*o-

**Nero's POV**

The sudden brightness blinded me. I shielded my eyes and squinted as I adjusted to my new surroundings. A symphony of scents wafted through my nose. Fresh spring air and sweet grass overloaded my usually deprived senses. _Grass_. I couldn't recall the last time I've ever had the pleasure to be standing in it. That endless time of harsh rock and urban wastelands really took it's toll on me. My bare feet dug into the cool soil beneath and savored every bit of the delight it gave me.

My eyes had slowly become accustomed to the bright outdoor light. All around me, long grass rippled around me in waves, not unlike the sea. A gentle breeze brushed against my cheeks and blew my long lustrous dark hair over my shoulders. Strange winged creatures fluttered and chirped melodies amongst themselves, creating stunning songs. I believe this is what they call a meadow. Whatever it was called, all I wanted to do was sit there for eternity and absorb its serenity and peace. But no, I couldn't do that. I had a world to save.

The pain from my injuries grew to the point where I had to sit down or else I would faint. Curse these injuries! I would not ever have gotten them if I had kept my calm composure in Jotunheimr. The media was most likely mocking my failure. This was bad news to my power and so called _considerably_ _large_ ego. Now where was that blasted moon?

The world around me was suddenly eluded in a dark shadow. The creatures around me silenced their chirping, as if they knew of the danger to come. The warmth this place had given me drained from my soul. All feel silent; the only noise was my harsh, raspy breathing. I looked up. There it was!

A massive spherical hunk of rock was hurdling towards the ground faster than the speed of sound, engulfed in bright flames. It was terrifying to think that in a few minutes, that would be crashing into me. It was larger than I expected and I questioned my ability to stop it. My body was beyond exhausted from the past day and stopping something as massive as that would surely use up the remainder of my energy. Nevertheless, I needed to try.

Ever since I was young, I've had the ability to move things with my mind. It started with puny pebbles that I could just hover in the air for fractions of a moment. Then it grew to rocks, then boulders, and now whole planets. The more I practiced, the longer I could sustain it in the air. Unfortunately, like all my other abilities, it depleted my energy, often leaving me incapacitated after a display of immense power.

I closed my eyes. I imagined the flaming rock in the best detail I could manage, down to the molecular level. My mind pressed and pushed with all its might. The falling moon wouldn't budge. Panicked, I dropped my strain of concentration. Breathe Nero. You can do it. I tried again. This time, the moon went flying backwards into deep space, never to be seen again by human eyes. I opened my eyes.

The melody of the winged creatures filled my ears. The star above me shone brightly, not obscured by anything. There wasn't a trace or hint that would signify that the world was in peril. Mission accomplished.

I smiled weakly and let out a sigh of relief. By now, I could hardly keep my eyelids up and a deep aching sensation ravaged my body. Before I slipped into sleep, I muttered my chosen destination. There was a loud pop in my ears and the soft bed was against my back once more. I made it. My mind drifted into unconsciousness.

-o*O*o-

"He's coming to!" shouted an unfamiliar voice to the side of Nick. Bright white lights blinded him. He was wrapped in the warmth and safety of a… blanket? He put on a puzzled expression. He looked around unsure of what to make out of it all. It looked sort of like a hospital room. Nick's sight didn't deceive him.

"What happened?" Nick croaked. His throat felt inflamed and his head was throbbing.

"You collapsed, then threw up, hit your head when I came in, and that knocked you out cold," came a familiar voice. It was Agent Hill's voice. He rolled to his side to find the source of her voice. The irritated looking Avengers, Agent Hill, and various doctors all stood around his bedside.

"How long have I been out?" Nick questioned.

"About half an hour," chimed in one of the doctors. Unbelievable! He was still alive and the world wasn't smashed!

"Is Nero back?" he wondered, trying to find out if she had held true to her word.

"She returned minutes after you were knocked out. She fell asleep as soon as she got here," Natasha informed him.

"Now it's my turn to ask the questions," Steve said, obviously angry. "Why didn't you have us informed that the moon was going to crash into the Earth?"

"I was going to, but then this happened," he said, gesturing to the hospital room around him. He was taken aback by the soldier's change in his normally obedient manner.

"Hmm. We were under the impression that we were authorized to be informed of these things with out your consent," Tony snorted.

"Well-" Nick started before he was interrupted.

"You can't trust us. We know," Agent Barton barked. Nick sat there, baffled by Clint's outburst. For someone like Tony to say that would be expected, but Clint?

"You really should reconsider, or else you won't have us to save your ass all the time," Tony snarled. He and Nick never really got along well.

After a long pause, "We were wondering how you plan to repay Nero for her deeds," Bruce asked politely.

"She is still considered a hostile and potential threat to our planet's safety. So nothing will be done." Nick knew this wouldn't settle well with the group.

"Hostile or not, she just saved your Midgard from inevitable doom," Thor said frankly.

"After she crashed into the moon and caused fly at us!" Rage grew in Nick's voice.

Natasha snapped at him in an equally angry fashion, "If I were her, I wouldn't have bothered. Especially after the way we've been treating her!" She shot a cold glare at him and stormed out of the room. The rest of the Avengers, even Maria followed, leaving just Nick and the doctor.

"Nobody is to have contact with her! And that's an order!" Nick shouted after them. They all heard him, whether they would listen or not … that's a different matter entirely.

-o*O*o-

The group of heroes filed into the conference room. Steve sat at the head of the table.

"I hope you all realize how much we owe Nero," Steve started. The group nodded. "To repay her, we would have to go against Fury's direct orders," he said slowly, making sure everybody took in his every word. "Who's up to it?" A determined grin crept up on to his face.

Everyone around the table bellowed "I". These words assembled the last part to the plan.

"Well then, let's get started!"

**A/N: Well, I hoped you liked it! Just to let you guys know, these next couple of weeks are going to be crazy for me! First off , I'm turning 14 on the 11th and I have some parties. Next, HOMEWORK and projects! And lastly, mid terms.**

**Thanks to kellyhorse for reviewing and taking the poll. Thanks to the mystery person who took the poll. The poll is still open. TAKE IT! Please:) You will find out what it's for very soon.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I would like to know how I'm doing or what you like about the story :) One review makes my entire day.**

**Thank you for reading,**

**Pandora :)**


	7. Breaking Boundaries

Chapter 7

Breaking Boundaries 

My eyes fluttered open to greet the dull room around me once again. For the last three days this place has been my, for the lack of a better word, prison. The locked and bolted doors along with the shatterproof window were the tell tale signs that these humans didn't treat me like a mere visitor, but as a threat. The fact there was only a couple of things in the room and the bed bolted to floor were the signs that I was a big threat, an intergalactic threat. In order to become a major threat, someone must fear you. And let's just say, everyone fears me.

I'm not the type to wager battles or set out on missions of conquest. I stick to the shadows, plot and scheme, and seek to destroy from the inside to the out. Like a virus. Only in my case, the virus is fear. Fear is the most deadly and lethal weapon there is.

Most villains aim to control land, people and wealth. They completely forget about utilizing fear. While land, people, and wealth become scarce after years of battling over it, fear will never. It's a resource as common as water in the ocean, sand in the desert, and clouds in the sky. The only problem is, you need the brains to create the fear and tap into it like a tick sucks the blood out of its host.

I have the intellect to make use of the power as vast as fear. I've schemed and plotted for years to perfect my plans down to the most irrelevant seeming details. As a result, I am the foundation of a network of fear. This system could cripple the burliest of men or the wittiest of savants. A mother fears that I will come in the middle of the night and steal her children. A president fears that I will cause mayhem with his authority or even take it. Whatever their darkest and deepest fear may be, I can hack into it and then use it to manipulate their lives. I have the ability to subjugate the entire universe using only the fear of those residing there, but of course it will take time. Time is something I have.

I didn't seek to be the ruler of an empire, but it looks as though I am. All I wanted was to be feared. Without my demand, many planets and realms surrendered to me and called themselves part of an empire that was supposedly under my rule. They never realized that there wasn't an empire under my rule, just the one they dreamed up. Not wanting to pass up on this offer, I went along with it. In return for them calling me their master, I call them my puny ignorant wimpy subjects. For short, I call them Defeatists, which sums up what they really are. They are all people who are not willing to fight for their life, liberty, freedom, and justice.

After my failure in Jotunheim to retrieve the Casket of a Thousand Winters, I worry that the masses will look at my failure as a weakness. Nobody in their right mind would ever fear someone with a weakness, at least not as much as they would for someone lacking evident weakness. How could I have been so thoughtless? If I had done my research in the first place, I would have discovered that Asgard had the Casket. If I had gone to Asgard, everything would have gone to plan and I wouldn't be in this predicament. I can just imagine what media headlines have been plastered all over the universe. _"Nero's Big Slip Up!" "Mysterious Nero Forced into Negotiations!" "Nero: Powerful or Fool?"_

At least my situation on Earth was improving ever so slightly. After two days of rest, my body was fully healed and my energy restored. A gurgling grumble came from my stomach, reminding me of the emptiness that was there. Maybe I'll even get some food for saving their world from demise.

The sound of clicking heals snapped me out of my little reflective session. The sound continued getting closer and closer. I pulled myself into a sitting position to try to get a better view. To my surprise, it wasn't Director Fury standing outside of the window, but the redhead I had seen when I first arrived. Her shorter hair whipped around as she looked over her shoulder and the back. She was biting her lower lip and looking down at something that I couldn't quite make out. She hesitated before pulling a card off from her neck and using it to open the hidden entrance.

She walked in briskly with her sight trained toward the ground. I gave her an intimidating stare, just to remind her who's the superior. She went to the side of the room and picked up a grey metal chair. She then continued to approach me and set the chair down at my bedside. It looked as if she wanted a conversation instead of just demanding answers from me. If that was the case, then I would possibly consider playing nice.

She took a seat and placed what she had brought in on her lap. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath to compose herself.

"Hello Nero. I'm not here to pester you, I just want to give you my sincere thanks," she began weakly; her voice grew with strength as she continued.

Why was she thanking me after I just almost destroyed their world with the moon? I thought they would be angry. It was an accident, but it still happened and would have had severe consequences if I had not decided to help. I don't speak, but I nod, still unsure of what to make of this situation.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why did you save us?" she asked me. I could just imagine how that question ate at her day and night; not leaving until she mustered the courage to face me. Her attitude toward me was much more likable that the Director's, but it didn't seem she would normally act like this. Just by how she was acting, I could tell she was trying her best not to be demanding and hostile with me. Her eyes sparked with tension and her hands were straining to form protective or aggressive fists. She was a fighter by nature, not anything like one of my Defeatists from my 'empire'. Just for that, I decided she would get the truth straight out and not one of my twisted ones.

"This may seem like a lie coming from someone like me, but I swear to you that it is the truth," I told her. Her dark eyes looked at me, begging me to continue. "I only kill those who deserve death as punishment for their sins. I try my hardest to avoid killing the innocent. The faces of the innocent I accidentally killed haunt me in my sleep and torture me to no end." I paused to let my word sink in. "I had no reason to exterminate an entire planet of innocent beings."

"To be honest, I never knew that bad guys had hearts too," she said, looking off into the distance. She quickly noticed her mistake. "Not that you are a bad guy or anything," she said quickly, her cheeks glowing bright red.  
"We can be honest and just accept the truth that I am a bad guy. No harm done with that," I said to her. I added a smile to reassure her that her last comment didn't anger me in the least.

Her expression loosened and shoulders relaxed. "I brought you something to wear," she said to me. She extended her arm and handed to me some clothes. So that was what she was carrying. "I'm sure you're just itching to get out of those hospital gowns." She read the desperate expression on my face and added, "Don't worry, I won't look."

I slid out of the bed and peeled off the gown. The cool air on my bare skin was so refreshing. I unfolded the bundle to find a black suit matching the one she was wearing. There was a zipper in the back already unzipped. I slid my long legs into the cool leather material and then my arms. I reached around with slender arms and pulled up the zipper. I looked down to see that the black suit clung tight to my body, exposing my slim torso and curves. The sleeves only came down to just past my elbows and the leg portion only down to mid-calf. This was _not _made for someone with my height, but at least I was in real clothes now.

"You can look now," I said to her. She opened her eyes and stood up. Her jaw dropped when she saw me towering over her. She was quick to recover from her shock.

"I wasn't expecting for you to be that tall. We can get you into something more your size soon," she said. "Let's go get you something to eat. You must be starved!" she said, smiling. It didn't seem like she smiled very often, but she had the most beautiful smile. She started towards the door and beckoned me to follow. I did, a little wobbly at first, but not too bad for someone who hadn't walked in three days. "By the way, I'm Agent Romanova, but you can call me Natasha."

I looked at the shorter redhead walking in front of me and smiled. "Very nice to meet you, Natasha." I really liked her and she seemed to be my type of person. She might end up becoming my first friend, but I don't want to get my hopes up. Not many people want to be friend with a villain like me. I shrugged the thought off and continued following her. I couldn't wait to get some food in me!

**A/N: I hope you liked it! Please don't be afraid to review! I would love to know how I'm doing. Also, I was wondering if you guys could see an improvement in my writing!**

**The poll was about who would be nice and possibly friends with Nero first. So thanks to the people who took it!**

**Till next time,**

**- Pandora**


	8. Pizza Party

Chapter 8:

Pizza Party

Natasha's brisk pace was fairly difficult to keep up with normally, let alone in my weakened state. After a crash like mine, most would not even be living, yet alone chasing after a strange woman you had just met. Keeping up with the redhead proved difficult enough that it utterly consumed my mind. Keep up Nero! Move faster! It filled my mind so much that the eerie emptiness crept up on me before I noticed it.

Endless halls twisted and turned and vacant rooms abandoned. The whole complex was empty! When the chance presented itself, my sight would slither through doors left ajar and small porthole-like windows. Each room shared the same theme of scattered papers and hastily emptied file drawers, giving it the overall feeling of a rushed evacuation. Why did they evacuate? Oh, right. Some crazy alien crashed into their planet and then almost killed them with their moon. Director Fury, given the title of command, must have ordered this to happen before or shortly after I arrived. These humans feared me enough to abscond before they even identified who I was! Pathetic mortals, that's what they are.

Well, at least the ones who left. Natasha on the other hand, stayed and even confronted me with knowledge of what I could do to her. Her bravery unsettles me as my murderous tendencies must frighten her. I don't want to get on her bad side and she doesn't want to get on mine. Straightforward as that. A simple relationship that I could live with.

The continual wandering gave the impression that it would last an eternity. Natasha seemed intent on finding the longest route possible, choosing to travel through every obscure passageway instead of taking the main ones. Before we would enter a new one, she would cautiously peek around the corner. My faith and trust remained strong enough to keep on following. What if this was all a ruse to lead me to a more secure holding cell? I was quick to jump to conclusions as always. I needed to cast my doubts aside. Natasha had the truthful look in her eyes when she told me we were going to get food. There must be another reason for her suspicious behavior. The place was evacuated so why would she check for anyone before she continued. Unless it was to avoid a certain someone who had stayed. Someone like the Director himself. My guts told me that Natasha wasn't quite supposed to being doing this. Quite rebellious indeed. "_Rebellious"_ added to the already lengthy list of qualities I found rather striking about this unknown woman.

Hunger ate at me like a wild beast, gnawing at me from the inside out through my stomach lining. The beast grumbled and growled ferociously, so aggressively that Natasha asked if I could make it on several occasions. Being as stubborn as I am, I answered that I could. But even I doubted that. Before this whole incident occurred, I hadn't eaten for close to a week and a half due to intense stress of my up coming task. Now, it was almost two weeks with nothing but water. The farther we went, the weaker I became. Famine had already started taking its toll, making my limbs heavier than lead and a broad deep ache all over. My feet stumbled forward with every step and that faint feeling couldn't very good news. If I didn't get food quickly, I would defiantly collapse.

At last, she came to a stop in front of a frosted glass door. She spun around and in her hand was- frigi fruit! There was a whole platter of the rare lush amethyst fruit just sitting there in her hand. The crisp sweetness could only be from the heavens and I was drooling to get my hands on it. Wait! Something wasn't right. Frigi was only found on Grith-

"Um, Nero?" Natasha woke me out of my trance. Frantically, I blinked my eyes. Nothing was there in her hands! Great! Now I'm delusional. How stupid I must look with my mouthwatering and drool dripping down my chain in anticipation of something that wasn't even there. Hunger and thirst ruse your mind in the strangest ways.

My attention shot back to Natasha. Her hand lingered on the door handle as she hesitated. She cleared her throat.

"I invited a few others to join us. I hope you don't mind," she told me, biting her lip. Blatantly, she was apprehensive of what my response would be.

"Alright with me. As long as it's not Director Fury," I joked halfheartedly. It bothered me that one person saw me in such a destabilized condition, but multiple? That was a whole new story. I considered changing my mind, but my hunger beat out my dignity on that one. As long as I ate, I couldn't care less currently. The exception on that was if it was Fury. I would bother to suffer through the pain that followed as long as I didn't have to be near him. A deep hatred for the man had developed prematurely. The way he treated me like scum, didn't feed me, and wouldn't even thank me after saving their world. He would go straight on my hit list if it wasn't for Natasha. I sure did _not_ want to piss her off by killing what I had deducted to be her commander.

Natasha chuckled softly at my lame attempt at a joke and the tension in her body vanished. "I know Fury was an ass to you, but it's better if you two got along. And no, he won't be there." She swung open the door to unleash the most savory aroma I'd ever had the pleasure of smelling. The smell alone was far better than my precious frigi fruit was ever. Where was it coming from? The only table occupied was one in the center by three men. In the center of the table was- food!

With all the strength I could muster, I pushed past Natasha and practically ran over to it. With out pausing to inspect what it was, I stuffed it into my mouth. Heavenly gooey cheese melted into my mouth. Warm tangy sauce oozed from underneath the cheese, adding a layer of complex flavor pleasure. A crisp crust added much needed texture, completing the masterpiece. This was quite possibly the best thing I had ever eaten. I hadn't the faintest idea of what it was, but my stomach growled in urge of more.

Red sauce covered my fingertips. Without pausing to lick my fingers clean, I dove in for a second slice. It suffered the same fate as the last piece. I cramped it down my throat like a starved monster. The more I ate, the more I needed. More! The second slice was demolished in no time at all. Now for a third. I continued obliterating the food at my frenzied pace like I would never eat again. About halfway through it, a sturdy hand seized my thin arm and pulled the food away from my mouth. As an act of instinct, I resisted. More! More! More!

"Whoa there! Chew! We wouldn't want you chocking!" pleaded one of the men I hadn't bothered to take much notice of. I looked up at them. The one holding my arm was tan skinned-something I don't see very often- with dark wavy hair and a pair of rounded objects to apparently correct his vision. Reluctantly I took his advice and chewed what was in my mouth. It tasted much better that way.

After the third piece had vanished, my stomach threatened to burst or even upchuck my delicious meal. The weakness had turned into newfound strength. I collapsed into an empty seat and licked off the sauce from my fingers and face. Now that my hunger had been tamed, I came to the realization of how savage I must have looked. The expressions around me varied from bewilder to shock.

"It looks like someone hasn't seen a pizza before!" exclaimed the same man who told me to chew. I heard an annoyed sigh form Natasha who had taken a seat to the right of me.

"Bruce, of course she hasn't. She hasn't even seen food for-who knows how long!" she exclaimed. The man called Bruce gave me an apologetic glance. "Nero, we are giving you our sincere thanks for the deed you did for our planet. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Natasha was curt in her delivery of their sincere gratitude. There was something about these people. All they wanted to do was thank me from saving them from the danger I had put them in.

"Yes, we are forever thankful," began a clean-shaven man with warm blue eyes and a defined jaw line. But why did you do it? We treated you like a…villain the moment you got here. We showed you no respect, but you still did it. Why?" the man questioned delicately.

I wasn't going to answer this one. Now it was getting too personal for my liking. The more they know you, the less they fear you. Right now, fear is the only weapon I have against them. True, I told Natasha, but I was desperate for food. I sat there stone cold with my arms crossed over my chest. Playing the stubborn card was just one from my deck of emotions. Natasha, being sharper than a blade, noticed my refusal and covered for me.

"She has this no-kill policy for innocents. Just those who deserve it are the ones who get it." She was referring to death and murder without actually coming out with the cruel words. Why was she trying to get them to like me? "We were nice enough to her that she still considered us as innocent," Natasha finished.

"Excuse me for being so rude," the clean-shaven man with the blue eyes began. He stood up and extended his hand to me. "I'm Captain Steve Rogers. It is a pleasure to meet you in person." This must be some sort of introduction. What do I do? I've never introduced myself to somebody, especially not in the strange outward hand way Captain Rogers was offering. Not wanting to embarrass myself any further, I did what I saw logical. I put my hand out the same way he did, making sure I wasn't getting too close to his hand. He smiled and chuckled before reaching out to grab my hand firmly and shook it. Oh, so that's what you're supposed to do. My stone cold face shattered and my cheeks glowed bright red. Well, I guess purple because of my pale blue complexion. Damn! I blew it! I wanted to continue being stubborn. Time for some improvising. I released Captain Roger's hand and decided to play the confident but mysterious card. "Pleasure meeting you, Captain Rogers," I said with confidence and looked into his blue eyes. Unlike my icy blue ones, his were warm and welcoming. "Please, call me Steve," he added and I nodded. Captain? He must be part of some pathetic human army. I hated armies with whatever heart I had. The number of lives lost is foolish considering I could do the same job by myself.

Another man, Bruce, stepped up and offered a hand to shake. This time, to avoid any further embarrassment, I shook his hand. "I'm Doctor Bruce Banner," he introduced. I towered over him by at least two heads.

The next man stood out from the other two. Long golden hair, scruffy face, a burly build, and clothing more similar to what I would wear set him apart. His height revival mine, but only by half a head and had the most charming blue eyes. He knelt down to his knees; different from Bruce and Steve. I've seen this before, during my childhood. This would be how someone from my planet would introduce himself or herself. Think Nero! What do I do? Oh right! I'm supposed to curtsy or something along those lines.

I dipped down into a poorly executed curtsy. At least I think it was a curtsy. The burley man looked up into my eyes. What was next? There was an awkward pause as I desperately tried to recall what came next. Then it hit me. Slightly embarrassed, I extended my hand. He cupped his hands around mine. His tenderness deceived his war-like outside appearance. I remembered what came next all too well. I winced when his lips touched the back of my hand. The sensation of a kiss was foreign to me. I hadn't the foggiest idea of what to expect, never being kissed and all. To be honest, although strange, it was pleasing.

"Prince Thor Odinson of Asgard, my Lady Nero," he spoke softly. That explained why he looked so different! Asgard? Hadn't the King of the Frost Giants mentioned that Odin of Asgard had taken the Casket of a Thousand Winters? He did. This must be Odin's son, hence the name. My mind went into scheming mode and flipped to the dark part of me. Yes, it was Asgard. Well, they have my Casket. Welcome back, the real me!

An idea formed. Just the spark, that could grow into a flame, and when there us a flame, someone's bound to get burned … I don't know who. Either me and my darkness, or the whole of Asgard. It's worth the risk. The Casket is just the first important piece of a plan that would revolutionize everything-for my benefit. I can't just go strolling into Asgard the way I did before. I would need a key. That key is right in front of me.

I was relieved to find that the dark part of me still functioned properly. With some extra time on Earth, I could actually pull the plan off. Now I am determined to form a bond with these men, especially Thor, to gain his trust so he will be my key. I'm tempted to let out a chilling laugh in triumph to my new and improved plan. It will give me everything and anything. Anything. Time to play miss nice Nero. The double crossing and back stabber one I am.

Natasha cut off my evil scheming. "There are two others I wanted you to meet, but they didn't-"

Time to make them sorry for me. "Didn't feel comfortable around an evil dictator like me," I said adding a little hurt into my voice on purpose. Natasha and the others looked down at their feet, ashamed for their co-worker's actions. "Don't worry, I get that a lot," I added just for affect. They couldn't see that I was grinning ear to ear on the inside. This was too easy.

There was a beeping sound from someone's wrist. Steve looked down to his wrist where a sort of time telling device was. "Time to go down to training guys," Steve said. "We wouldn't want Fury to investigate our absences. Especially since we defied his direct orders to give our thanks to Nero."

"Why don't you join us, Nero? I was put in charge of analyzing the armor and sword that fell with you to Earth. I can get them for you, since that," gesturing to Natasha's suit I was wearing. "Doesn't look tall enough for you," Bruce finished. A little small was an understatement. The tightness was beginning to cut off the circulation of blood to my limbs.

"I would be pleased to join you," I confirmed. With that, we set off for the training facilities.

_I, Nero, will return stronger than ever. _

_Soon. _

**A/N: Hey guys and girls! I know your reading this! Yes, you. Do me a favor and leave a review! :) It meanins the world to me :D**

**Next chapter is going to be fun! :)**

**I must give credit to my friend guineamania for polishing this baby up!**

**Till Sunday,**

**- Pandora :)**


	9. Lair of the Beast

**A/N: This is currently un-betaed! Excuse anything that sounds funny and issues with spelling and grammar. I'll get the edited version up soon!**

_"Leave the past behind, just walk away_

_When it's over, and the heart break_

_And the cracks begin to show"_

_-Cracks by The Freestylers_

Chapter 9:

Lair of the Beast

In Asgard

A beam of golden sunlight snuck between the slender cracks of sturdy iron bars, shining a beacon of hope through the gloom and darkness of the prison. Not exactly a prison, but the lair of the beasts that bore the scars of tragedies they brought upon themselves. Those who society tries to hide.

This beam of light struck a peculiar pair of emerald eyes. Most eyes of the prison feasted off despair, anger, and vengeance. The same was with these eyes, but with one subtle difference. Pain. Not physical pain inflicted from others or even himself, but an emotional pain that sears through souls, stabs hearts, and tortures you in your sleep. A broken bone or wound heals, but a broken heart would never. The shards of it can be placed back together, but cracks always remain.

Not only was Loki's heart shattered, but his whole world had just spiraled down the drain. First, his so-called 'brother' would be the one to ascend the throne, even though he was unsuitable for such immense power. Second, that cheating and lying bastard Odin hid from him for his entire life that he was the monster parents tell their children about at night. Lastly, a bunch of freaky mortals in spandex humiliated him!

He didn't even know his name! Surely it wasn't Loki Odinson or even Loki Laufeyson. If he was a true Laufeyson, he wouldn't have been abandoned and left to die, only to be stolen by Odin and raised as his son. He was just Loki. Not even the God of Mischief and Lies. Odin made sure of that as soon as he had arrived in Asgard by taking away his god-like stature and immortality as part of punishment.

What made it even worse was like Thor's banishment to Midgard; Odin had placed a catch on his curse. Loki would only get his powers back if he preformed five acts of pure selfless kindness. To mark his progress, five dark green lines had been etched into his wrist through enchantment. Only when an act of kindness was preformed would a mark disappear. Loki wasn't very fond towards his new tattoos and hadn't managed to get a single one to vanish.

Just to add to the catastrophe that was his life, the people of Asgard demanded more pain inflicting punishment for a traitor as himself. To please the demands of Asgard, Loki was whipped a total, fifty times across his back in the view of the public. Fortunately, he had only been conscious for half. Without his magic, the lacerations would heal naturally, leaving his back riddled with hideous scars that would only remind him of his failure each time he saw them.

Now devoid of his dignity, ego, powers, and family, Loki sat rotting away in the prison of the common Asgardian with arms in shackles and skin tattered. He was just a shadow of his former glory; the skeleton of the God he once was.

Blood seeped through his robes and trickled down into massive puddles on the cobblestone ground. Some of the shallow wounds had already scabbed over and began the healing process. Nonetheless, the fire-like pain still raged on, searing every bit of flesh.

After a while, Loki became numb to emotion and the pain from his gashes. He should be plotting revenge or even escape from this Hel hole, but all he wanted to do was lay there and die now that he was mortal. There wasn't a motive in his life to face his past and future, so why couldn't he just die now? Death would take him away from his pain and suffering. But no, death was too easy. Letting him live was Odin's worst punishment.

A metallic clang echoed throughout the dark damp cell; waking Loki out of his trance. His glowing emerald eyes snapped to attention. A pair of burley guards and a skimpy messenger stood before him. A newbie by the looks of it. His hands trembled and his eyes were filled with fear; the fear of being in front of a monster like Loki. What could they possibly want from him now?

Wanting to take advantage of the messenger's fear, Loki looked into his eyes with a murderous grin and hissed, "What is it?" in a low gravely tone.

"Odin re requests your pre presence m m most immediately," the messenger stammered quickly. His knees were on the verge of buckling. Loki couldn't blame him. He would be scared of himself too. Loki hadn't the option to refuse Odin's demand. Reluctantly, he extended his shackled hands and the guards yanked him to his feet, not bothering to mind his injuries.

The guards shunted him forward with the butts of their spears. Loki hobbled forward, his head cast to the ground. The guards led Loki through a labyrinth of dark passages lit only by torches.

The memories flashed by of Thor and him running through these passages as children. Odin warned them not to, but Loki convinced Thor to follow him through the forbidden passages. It was one of their favorite pastimes. When they were caught down there, Loki was always able to pass the blame and punishment onto Thor with the help of his silver tongue. Whether to cringe or grin at these memories remained lost to him. The only thing Loki knew was that these tunnels led directly to the throne room where Odin would be waiting.

After the excruciating journey, they arrived in the throne room. The sudden change in brightness caused Loki to squint as he was thrown before Odin. An ensemble of guards surrounded him with their weapons poised; ready to attack if he made the slightest aggressive gesture.

The King sat tall and mighty in his golden throne, his face grim and serious.

"Loki Odinson," Odin began in a low grave tone. It didn't surprise Loki in the slightest that he was still considered his son. "I offer you a chance of redemption." Odin looked down at Loki for a response. None came. All Loki could do was keep down the hatred bubbling inside. "I am aware that you know of the existence of Nero. I am also aware that you have taken all my scrolls concerning Nero and shared them with your brother during your youth," he added after Loki faked a look of puzzlement.

"I have received reports that Nero has disappeared off the face of the universe. The last time she was sighted was in Jotunheim. I have rights to believe she remains there, most likely in a weakened state," he told the unresponsive Loki. He knew that Loki was listening. "This gives us the opportunity to apprehend her and punish her for countless heinous crimes." Odin paused. "I offer you the task of finding and bringing her to Asgard."

"Why me?" Loki hissed softly. So softly that Odin wouldn't have heard if he wasn't listening.

"The Frost Giants are expecting that I would banish you to your birth realm. You would go more unnoticed than Thor or I." Loki's face hardened at the mention of Thor.

"I killed their king and my father! You don't just expect them to welcome me with open arms do you?" Loki burst out in a fit of rage. He felt ten sharp spear point dig into his cloak as a warning.

"Laufey may have been your birth father, but he never fathered you in the slightest. I have them convinced that it was I who killed Laufey," Odin responded calmly. Loki shot him a hate filled glance, avoiding looking directly into his eyes.

"In return for bringing me Nero, you will regain your immortality." Loki perked up with the mention of this. "But not your powers," Odin added. The hope washed out of Loki's face. Immortality was still better than nothing was. "You shall be free from imprisonment. If you fail to complete the task or don't bother to, I will not hunt you down, but you will die simply from age. Do you accept?

Loki sat in silence. His blood and filth covered figure looked out of place in the extravagant hall. The reward was decent, but it was the chance of meeting Nero that decided the offer for him. The biggest mystery of his youth surrounded the mythical Nero he had read so much about. He had the chance to solve the mystery presented to him on a silver platter. He took a deep breath. "I do." His words echoed through the vast hall.

Odin nodded. "Before you set off, your wounds must heal without the aid of sorcery. You will spend ten days and ten nights in the prison cell and the rest of the time it takes for your injuries to heal in your chambers while under heavy guard. That is all," he finalized.

The guards pulled Loki to his feet and began the long journey back to the lair of beasts.

**A/N: Thank you for reading! This was fun for me to write and hopefully fun for you guys to read. This was basically to remind you all that Loki has something to do with this story:)**

**Thanks to ****shifterofthedark ****and ****katherinesalvatore98**** for following the story!**

**Hey! I made a poll that has something to do with next chapter so take it please! :)**

**As always, feel free to drop a review. They mean a lot to me. Plus, I give shoutouts! **

**With love,**

**- Pandora**


	10. Fighting Fate

**A/N: Forgive any spelling and grammar mistakes! This is un-betaed and I'll get the edited version up soon! I noticed some really glaring mistakes in last chapter so forgive me for that too!**

_Chapter 10:_

_Fighting Fate _

As soon as Doctor Banner brought me my armor, it was suggested that Thor and I go at it against one another. Not wanting to pass up the chance to humiliate the Asgardian, I accepted.

The stage was set. It was set for a lighthearted brawl between two great warriors. It was Thor with his wisdom and might against me, my intelligence, trickery, and cunning moves. Our spectators considered this mere play, but to me it was something more. For one, it was to establish myself superior. The result of our little battle would determine my stature among the protectors of Earth and humanity. Sure, that was essential, but what was more was to remind them. To remind them of what could potentially ensue them with the snap of my finger. Remind them that the world around them could be burnt to ashes with the wave of my hand. It could be said that I was drawing the line between us. But, I needed to draw this line as silently as possible. For if I drew too much negative attention, my plans to befriend my adversary and take the Casket would crumble to dust. I needed to plant the impression that I am like a tiger; strong and independent, friendly and cute, but deadly and lethal if provoked.

Thor lowered into a defensive position, with his knees slightly bent and hand gripping his mighty hammer. Although much stronger than me, Thor would be an easy defeat due to his apparent lack of concern. The way he twirled the hammer in his hands and the relaxed friendly grin on his face signified that he felt at ease. To me, this was a notion of arrogance and supremacy. Well, soon that smirk would be turned upside down.

In my eyes, he was prey and I should treat him as such. It is important to never under-estimate your opponent, but it is equally important never to over-estimate them. With slow carefully calculated steps, I began to stalk my prey. Treading softly, I circled around the mighty god. He looked genuinely confused by my strange battle technique, but followed along and began circling around me. Asgard's fighting strategies were out dated and pure brute strength was favored over careful planning and logical solutions.

Soon enough, we were pulled into a loop, equally spaced and ready to make the first attack. Our eyes were locked and we bore into the others as if we were attempting to read the other's mind. His grin had faded and was replaced by a serious and concentrated face. I narrowed my eyes. I broke contact and my eyes darted about, searching for a weakness in Thor's armor. My search was futile considering I didn't intended to cause him serious harm, but only to incapacitate him. It became clear that the best move would be to get him off guard. That would be easy considering that with the slightest movement from either of us; the other would surely leap into attack.

My battle armor was designed to allow me agility and stealth while still looking presentable. It was tight to my body and the swirls of purple and sliver metal created an elegant and beautiful look to it all. A dark violet pleated skirt gave my figure flattering looks. All my legs wore were simple shin and knee protectors made of shining silver metal. The armor covering my torso hadn't any type of sleeve so in place, leather fingerless bands ran halfway up my forearms and it too was embroidered with silver. A thick leather belt held my sword that my hand gripped, ready to pull it out to make my first move. That first move was to startle Thor to give myself the instant advantage.

I whipped out my sword with such effortlessness that could only from achieved by years of experience. My swift move did what it set out to do. Thor barreled at me with his hammer prepared to smash. I stood calm and collected. Just before The hammer could connect with my body, I stepped to the side and the hammer swung through the empty air where I had just stood.

Before Thor could make sense of what had just happened, I lunged around to the back of him and with one swift movement; I sliced off his red cape entirely, leaving just strands of the fabric. The cape fluttered to the ground. This served as a mere warning. Anyways, it looked like he had stolen one of his mother's drapes and wore it as a cape. I backed away to a safe distance.

Judging by the chuckles from the two men and Natasha failing to hide a smile, my little stunt was rather humorous to them. Thor, however, looked quite perturbed but impressed with my actions. He still managed to give me an encouraging smile.

"It appears we have quite the fighter here," Thor said, confirming my suspicions that he had under-estimated my skills in battle. A bead of sweat trickled down his face and disappeared into the scruff on his face. He kicked aside his cape with a speedy movement from his foot.

"I haven't yet begun to fight," I responded coolly with a determined smile. I hated being this cocky and arrogant, but I couldn't help it this time. It was just too fun and easy to make a fool out of Thor. This was followed by more laughs from our onlookers.

"You get'em girl!" Natasha cheered from the sidelines. A part of me was relieved to know that the others thought I was playing instead of trying to prove myself.

I held my sword loosely at my side. In a split moment, I charged towards Thor with my sword ready to slice. Thor stood prepared to defect my blow, with his feet spread apart like any trainer in Asgard would have taught to him. He must have noticed the mischievous glint in my sapphire eyes, but all too late. Feet first, I dove under his legs and leapt back to my feet. Thor was prepared for another one of my cunning moves and without hesitation, spun around to deflect my incoming attack.

Metal met metal in a forceful collision between sword and hammer. We looked into each others eyes as our weapons were locked together. His breathing was heavy and sweat continued to drip down his face. I knew my strength was no match for his, but I didn't let this catch on.

As soon as I felt my arms would give, I lunched myself into the air and flipped backwards. I stuck the landing with only a couple stumbles backward. Now, my breath was raspy and hard. I held my sword in front with both hands. Strands of my long dark hair covered my eyes and stuck to the sweat on my face.

Thor sent his hammer flying towards me before I could fully recover. I jumped to the side to avoid it, but not fast enough.

The hammer clipped my hip sending me flying to the ground. For the first few moments, I felt numbness. Then it hit me. A sharp ache caused my hand to clutch the area of impact as I attempted to get back to my feet. Taking little mercy, Thor ran at me at full speed like an enraged bull. The odds of winning weren't in my favor. Unless…

I yanked out a small smooth golden sphere from a pouch on my belt. With all my might, I chucked it near my charging opponent and dove to the ground for cover.

There was a high pitch humming and then a flash of golden light. The sound of charging feet had vanished. I rose slowly to find that Thor was frozen in place. My bones ached and my throat was parched. Gasps arose from the three onlookers. I found my little golden ball nearby and placed it back into its pouch.

The little ball was an invention of mine. It temporarily froze anyone near it for about a minute's time. I found the need for it early on in my career. While my abilities were obsolete since they drained my energy, this little ball was very useful. I used it anytime I needed a minute advantage on anything, like now. I named it the Orb.

I walked over to the frozen Thor. His teeth were barred and his body completely frozen in his running place. With all my body force pushed against him, I toppled the massive warrior to the ground. Fortunately, he landed on his back so I didn't have to turn his over. I shuddered at just the thought of trying to turn over hundreds of pounds of sheer mussel. His arms and legs stuck out at strange angles and hair frozen in bizarre spikes. I placed my foot atop his armored chest and pointed my sword tip near his throat.

As Thor unfroze, I triumphantly whispered, "I win."

**A/N: I kind of gave you part one of what I was planning to write. I wanted to write more and got distracted by a new story (and I wanted to watch the Superbowl -yep you guessed it. I'm an American) that I'm working so forgive the shortness of this one! Also, this was my first try at writing an action sequence so I hope it worked for you guys and girls.**

**I hope it was alright. I've been really sick lately both physically and mentally. Some pretty strange stuff has happened. I've had hallucinations (both visual and auditory) and delusions and its gotten really scary. So I'm going to get my head checked out soon :/ Don't worry! I wont let it get in the way of my writing. **

**Thanks to the new followers! I really appreciate it!**

**Hey! I haven't gotten a review in like four chapters! Please give me some feedback! Or just let me know that you enjoy! :)**

**Till next chapter,**

**- Pandora :D **


	11. Message to the Readers

**Hello! As you can see, this isn't a chapter. I've been reading through the story and I decided that it needs some major improvements. Do not worry! The story will continue! I just to re write it a bit. As always, I will update on Sundays, but for a little while, it will be the rewrite. I am planning on keeping some of the story basically the same, but with lots of improvements mainly in making Nero less Mary Sue like. I've also noticed that the canon characters are a bit OCC so that will change. I thank you guys for the support I have received and hope you will continue supporting the new and improved version of the story. **

**Thank you guys so much! **

**With love,**

**- Pandora :D**

****So this won't get deleted, here's the chapter.

There one was a bad girl named Nero.

She failed miserably and crashed into the Earth.

The Avengers took her in and had lots of fun till they found out how bad she was.

And that's where I leave you...


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